| Course ID: | SLAV 2200. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | Kind of Human: Animals, Children, and Robots in Russian and East European Literature and Art |
Course
Description: | The representation of non-human and children’s lives in Russian
and East European literatures. Articulation of the human through
comparison with lives considered less than human. Philosophy and
ethics of non-human subjectivity. Survey of a wide range of
sources, including literature, visual art, music, film,
philosophical treatises. All readings in English. |
| Oasis Title: | Kind of Human |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | This course examines a wide variety of works from Russian and
East European literature and art that deal with representations
of lives that are either non-human (animals, robots, clones) or
oftentimes considered to be less human than others (children).
The aim of the course is twofold: on the one hand we will
consider historical and contemporary notions of what it means to
be human by looking at the portrayal of what is typically
considered to be its polar opposite, i.e., non-human subjects.
On the other hand, we will be pushed to consider our
coexistence with those who might fall outside of the bounds of
humanity. Our focus will be on those works of art that question
and problematize our notions of the human by forcing us to
contemplate how much humanity we are willing to give to and
accept from non-human subjects. We will ground our investigation
in historical and legal documents as well as philosophical
treatises.
Students will be evaluated on the basis of written assignments,
such as compositions and short reflective papers, attendance and
participation in class discussions, quizzes, and exams. |
| Topical Outline: | The following is a representative outline. The course will be
broken into three parts, each corresponding to the sub-topic in
question. Final texts and other material illustrating the
various topics will be chosen at the discretion of the
instructor.
1. Animals.
a). Losing humanity: Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”
b). Point of view: Lev Tolstoy’s “Kholstomer”
c). Animal order: Karel Chapek’s "War with the Newts"
d). Animal Disorder: Kornél Mundruczó’s "White God" and
Samuel Fuller’s "White Dog"
e). More than human: Vladislav Khodasevich “The Monkey,”
Wis³awa Szymborska “Breugel’s Two Monkeys”
2. Robots
a). Above the human: Andrey Tarkovsky’s "Solaris"
b). Help or harm: Karel Chapek’s "RUR"
c). Literature as a robot: Vladimir Sorokin’s "Blue Lard"
d). Artificial intelligence: Stanis³aw Lem’s "The Cyberiad"
3. Children.
a). Children’s sexuality: Ivan Bunin’s “Gentle Breathing”
b). Point of view: Emil Ajar’s "The Life Before Us"
c). A different, innocent world: Leonid Dobychin’s "The
Town of N"
d). Adults vs. children: Witold Gombrowicz’s "Ferdydurke" |